How to Beat Balteus

Armored Core 6 isn’t as difficult as FromSoftware’s other titles, but it still packs a punch, especially if this is your first foray into mech games. Facing challenging bosses is part of the whole schtick, and Balteus is where things get real. To progress past Chapter 1, you’ll need to defeat this boss.

Balteus can be described as FromSoftware’s skill check boss. By the time you reach it, you should have access to a relatively solid selection of parts and have had the chance to experiment with playstyles that mesh well for you. Balteus is merely here to test just how much you’ve learned. Compared to the other enemies you’ve fought so far, nothing is like Balteus. It can easily destroy your AC with its flamethrower arms and stagger you with missiles. Even so, he can be defeated; our guide will show you it’s possible.

How to Defeat Balteus in Armored Core 6

You’ll need three things to beat Balteus: fast reflexes, high damage output, and patience. The fight with Balteus has two phases, and the mech gets new attacks and becomes much more aggressive during the second phase. Balteus also has a shield, indicated by the energy field around it. As long as the shield is up, all the damage you deal will be prevented.

Your main goal throughout the fight is to attach Balteus until its shield is depleted. You’ll know the status of the shield by the light-blue bar located at the top main circle of the hud. Once the shield is down, the regular stagger bar appears, letting you deal damage to Balteus’ AP bar. Since Balteus can be staggered, you can extend the period during which it’s vulnerable without its protection. But after a while, it’ll inevitably get its shield back.

Balteus First Phase

Since the fight isn’t scripted, it’s impossible to memorize the order of Balteus’ attacks. The idea of Armored Core 6 is to understand the main moves of bosses and learn how to respond to them.

During the first phase, your aim is to survive Balteus’ missile attacks. There’s no specific order in which Balteus uses them, but it’s easy to identify which missile it’s preparing to launch. The most challenging ones to avoid are the barrages in three different directions. You can avoid them in two ways. One is to bait the projectiles by flying upwards and then going to the opposite side. Another method is to dodge towards the boss’ position. Since the missiles can’t change their trajectory abruptly, they can’t follow you when you go towards the boss. Doing this action is easier if you’re around mid-range from Balteus.

Another attack you should remember during the first phase is Balteus’ single-shot target. You’ll hear an alert when the boss will use this attack. To avoid this, rely on the sounds and start performing evasive maneuvers. You’ll know when to dodge by looking for the red square on the screen, marking where the attack’s coming along with the sound.

Balteus Second Phase

Balteus will begin its second phase once it reaches around 50% health, causing a massive energy explosion. At that point, you must get away from Balteus as fast as possible or risk taking around 4,000 damage. Balteus will then have access to all its phase one attacks, plus a few more you’ll need to be aware of.

After launching its missiles, Balteus will always begin the second phase with a flamethrower arm swipe attack. If you don’t have a good distance from the boss, flying out of its reach will be impossible. Should you be close to mid-range, moving forward and under its arm is the best way to avoid it.

After a windup, Balteus will slash horizontally from the left with its flame blade and spin around, slashing with both blades as a result. While this attack’s reach is enormous, you can dodge it by jumping over the horizontal slash. Since the boss’ direction is locked based on your position, you can bait Balteus and then fly out of the attack.

As for Balteus’ last move set in this phase, Balteus will put its arms together and use its flamethrowers in your direction. Thankfully, escaping the flames of death is only a matter of positioning; if you get out of the way, you can do some damage from a distance or get in close since the flamethrower animation locks Balteus in position for a while.

Best Balteus Build AC6

The most important thing to remember with Baltus is that most of his attacks have homing capabilities or hit fast. With that in mind, you’ll need a build that can match its speed. You’ll also need weapons with high damage output and can hit quickly. Luckily, you just need to focus on having light overall weight and Boost Speed. It’s the weapons where everything truly matters.

Here’s what I recommend you should go with:

• Right Arm: VVC-760PR Plasma Rifle
• Left Arm: HI-32 Pulse Blade
• Right Shoulder: BML-G1 Homing Rockets
• Left Shoulder: Vvc079VPM Plasma Rockets